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Flashes and newborn babies


11 years 9 months ago #240289 by MYoung
I had a mother and her newborn over this morning for what was suppose to be some quick portraits of newborn. This was the youngest newborn I've photographed and the mother made it clear she didn't want me to use flashes as they are supposed to be harmful to the newborns eyes??

If that is the case, what are you using to get that light you need for newborn photography?
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11 years 9 months ago #240305 by effron
I’m no lighting expert but have found that my best results have been when I’ve used my flash in a ‘bounce flash’ way – shooting it up into a ceiling so that it’s indirect. This diffuses the light a lot which leaves Xavier less washed out in the shots, and more importantly means he’s not blinded by the light from it (we don’t want to blind our little ones by our photographic obsession – I actually asked a pediatrician about camera flashes and his advice was that it wouldn’t do damage but that for a babies comfort that indirect flash (ie bounced and/or diffused flash) would be advisable. I’m sure different doctors would advise different things but I play it safe with my bounce flash – and avoid flash altogether where possible). It also gives a fairly natural looking shot.

If you don’t have a bouncable flash try bumping up the ISO setting on your camera and increasing the aperture setting – this will mean you won’t need to use the flash at all if there is at least some natural light in the room. The other strategy would be to diffuse the flash a little by putting some tissue over the flash.



photo.stackexchange.com/questions/16411/...-infants-or-newborns

photo.net/photography-lighting-equipment...hniques-forum/00FsfZ
Why so serious?
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11 years 9 months ago #240308 by Darrell
Flash from a softbox will NOT hurt a babies eyes, if the issue is raised a good reply would be, ( that is the reason I use soft boxes and umbrellas rather than a raw flash )
You will not be judged as a photographer by the pictures you take, but by the pictures you show.
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11 years 9 months ago - 11 years 9 months ago #240354 by Henry Peach

MYoung wrote: ...they are supposed to be harmful to the newborns eyes??


Absolutely false.

Imagine for a moment that a Canon or Nikon flash ever damaged a baby's eyes. They, and the photographer, would be sued for big money, and all of our flashes would come with huge warning labels.
mattneedham.zenfolio.com
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11 years 9 months ago #240388 by Joves

Henry Peach wrote:

MYoung wrote: ...they are supposed to be harmful to the newborns eyes??


Absolutely false.

Imagine for a moment that a Canon or Nikon flash ever damaged a baby's eyes. They, and the photographer, would be sued for big money, and all of our flashes would come with huge warning labels.


Exactly!
Hell I was the first born and had all sorts of photos taken of my using the old flash bulbs and I can still see. Also some of those photos showed how bright those things were too. But in truth you do not want harsh light on a newborn as it is. That is not the proper lighting for the subject, you want a nice soft lighting to accentuate the babies softness.
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11 years 9 months ago - 11 years 9 months ago #240396 by icepics
My job was working as an Early Intervention Specialist with infants and toddlers with delays (such as preemies). Generally what's known about infant development indicates that newborns' vision is not completely developed, but there's new research all the time and the knowledge base is always changing. So you could get differing opinions.

I don't remember reading anything about how a flash would be perceived by a newborn infant, but their systems in general are sensitive to stimuli in a different way than older children or adults. So a bright light that might just make us squint a little could be too much for their eyes or nervous system to tolerate comfortably.

I think you can offer another option but you need to be respectful of what the parents want and what their comfort level is for their child. If they don't want you to use a flash, that's the kind of situation where you have to be prepared to find another solution. I think you need to know how to get photos done in various circumstances that might occur before you start taking on paying clients, otherwise I think you could end up with unhappy clients which may not help you build a good reputation as a photographer.
Sharon
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11 years 9 months ago - 11 years 9 months ago #240513 by Henry Peach
My high end flashes can't match normal daylight in intensity in most shooting situations. Do doctors warn new parents about taking babies out into direct daylight?

As someone who's been using flash on his kids extensively since moments after their birth I can say they've made it to 6 and 10 without any vision issues.
mattneedham.zenfolio.com
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11 years 9 months ago #240538 by Soccer Mom

Henry Peach wrote:

MYoung wrote: ...they are supposed to be harmful to the newborns eyes??


Absolutely false.

Imagine for a moment that a Canon or Nikon flash ever damaged a baby's eyes. They, and the photographer, would be sued for big money, and all of our flashes would come with huge warning labels.


Exactly :agree:
Canon 7D, 18-55mm, 55-250mm, 70-200mm L f/2.8, 100mm and 17-55mm f/2.8
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11 years 9 months ago #240641 by Weston
Use a softbox and you'll be good
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11 years 9 months ago #240702 by EOS Man
I've seen this topic before and really it boils down to the parents wishes. There is so much suggesting that a flash won't harm the newborn, but if the parents don't want, we as photographers need to respect their wishes.
5D Mark II | 50mm f/1.4 EX | 24-70mm f/2.8L | 70-200mm f/2.8L | 430EX
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